Best phones with edge displays — what are your options?

The Galaxy Note Edge was the very first phone with an edge display way back in 2014. It’s single-edge design never really took off, but Samsung refined the concept the following year, introducing a dual-edge design with the Galaxy S6 Edge. Since then, the curved screen has become standard on Samsung’s flagship smartphones – even if the edge has become a bit less obvious in the last few iterations. 

Samsung isn’t the only manufacturer to make phones with edge displays, either. Companies like Huawei and Nokia have followed the tech giant’s footsteps, though their devices haven’t grabbed as much attention as the Galaxy S and Note lines.

Curved displays look sexy and give smartphones a futuristic vibe, but they don’t provide much added functionality. They can also crack more easily when dropped on a hard surface. If you’re not scared by that, keep reading — you’ll find the best phones with edge displays below.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus

The curved sides of the Galaxy S9 series are less intense than on its predecessor.

The curved sides of the Galaxy S9 series are less intense than the Galaxy S8, which makes swiping in from the edges of the screen a bit easier. The sides also don’t bleed all the way to the edge anymore, minimizing the risk of accidental palm presses when reaching to the opposite side of the screen.

The Galaxy S9 is equipped with a 5.8-inch display, and the Plus version measures 6.2 inches. Both use Super AMOLED technology, with a QHD+ resolution and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. There are only three other differences between the handsets: the camera, battery, and RAM. The Plus model has a dual-camera setup on the back, 6GB of RAM, and a 3,500mAh battery. The S9 has a single primary shooter, 4GB of RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery.

The rest of the specs are the same. Both have the latest and greatest Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810 chipset, an iris scanner, and a fingerprint scanner located below the camera (an improvement over the Galaxy S8). Samsung sells the S9 for $720 and the Plus model for $840. Bottom line, these are some of the best phones with edge display technology around. It’s also one of the best Android phones around, period.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S9

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

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Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Like the Galaxy S9 series, the Note 9 sports a great curved display. It measures 6.4 inches, making it slightly bigger than the S9 Plus. The Super AMOLED screen offers QHD+ resolution and has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

Read next: The best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 cases you can buy

The Note 9 is one of the most powerful smartphones available, aimed at more demanding users. It’s got the Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810 chipset under the hood — depending on the region — along with 6 or 8GB of RAM. It also sports a dual-camera setup on the back, an iris scanner, and an IP68 rating for protection against water and dust. However, the S Pen really makes the phone unique, giving users another way to interact with the device.

The Note 9’s only real problem is its price. The version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will set you back $1,000, while the beefed-up variant featuring 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage goes for a whopping $1,250.

Specs

Read more

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• The 5 features that make the Galaxy Note 9 great
• Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9 Plus: Which Galaxy do you belong to?
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Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro features an all-glass design and comes with Huawei’s gradient color scheme. It has a huge 6.39-inch AMOLED display with curved edges, a 19:5:9 aspect ratio and a 1,440 x 3,120 resolution.

You have your choice of five color options, including a very nice looking emerald green model. Oh, and it has a full IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The device comes with the Kirin 980 SoC, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a fancy new Nano Memory slot for expandable storage. It also has three rear-facing cameras — one 40MP standard sensor, one 8MP telephoto lens, and one 20MP ultra wide-angle sensor.

However it lacks a headphone jack and it has a high price, starting at almost $1,000. If you can ignore those issues, and if you can find one in the U.S., the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is one of the best  phones you can buy.

Specs

• 6.39-inch AMOLED 19:5:9 display 1,440 x 3,120 resolution
• Octa-core Huawei Kirin 980 processor
• 6/8GB of RAM
• 128/256GB of on-board storage, up to 256MB expansion
• Triple 8, 20 and 40MP rear cameras, 24MP front camera
• Non-removable 4,200mAh battery
• Android 9 Pie
• 157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6mm, 189g

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Nokia 8 Sirocco

Nokia 8 Sirocco is an upgraded version of the Nokia 8, offering Nokia’s first edge display. The phone comes equipped with a larger 5.5-inch display (up from 5.3 inches) curved on both sides, thinner bezels, and improved water protection (IP67 vs. IP54).

The handset sports a dual-camera setup kitted out with Carl Zeiss optics and 2x optical zoom. Its Bothie lets you use front and back cameras simultaneously for split-screen photos and videos. The handset is part of Google’s Android One initiative, guaranteeing a pure, bloat-free OS experience and timely updates.

The Nokia 8 Sirocco is powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset instead of the newer 845, so it packs a little less power than the Galaxy S9. However, it’s still more than capable of handling anything you throw at it. The phone also supports wireless charging and has 6GB of RAM, but it doesn’t come with a headphone jack, which might be a deal breaker for some. It’s available in loads of European markets, where it retails for around 650 euros (~$754). Unfortunately, the phone wasn’t officially released in the U.S.

Specs

Read more

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Sony Xperia XZ3

The Xperia XZ3 made its debut at IFA 2018 in Berlin, sporting a 6-inch OLED display with slight curves on the sides — a first for Sony. The device’s cool new Side Sense feature brings up a mini app drawer when you double tap the edge of the screen, displaying apps you might need.

The Sony Xperia XZ3 runs Android 9.0 Pie.

Sony’s latest smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset, with 4GB of RAM. It sports a single 19MP camera on the back along with a fingerprint reader, which is positioned a bit low for our liking. Other specs and features include dual front-facing speakers, wireless charging, and Android 9.0 Pie.

The Sony Xperia XZ3 will go on sale in the U.S. starting October 17. You’ll be able to get it from Amazon and Best Buy for $900 — $60 more than the Galaxy S9 Plus’ starting price.

Specs

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• Sony Xperia XZ3 specs: More of the same, but is that bad?

Oppo Find X

The Oppo Find X is an example of what edge-to-edge phones could be like in the future. It has a 6.42-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. There’s no notch on this phone, and its screen-to-body ratio is the highest ever for a smartphone at 93.8 percent.

The Oppo Find X’s design puts both the dual rear 16MP and 20MP cameras as well as the 25MP front-facing camera inside the phone’s casing. It lifts up when the cameras are needed, and lowers when not. The front-facing camera supports 3D facial recognition to unlock the phone, but Oppo also chose to ditch the fingerprint sensor for the Find X as a result.

The phone also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. A large 3,730mAh battery is also included. It’s already available in select markets in Europe, where it retails for 1,000 euros (~$1,160). Oppo is selling the device in India for 59,990 rupees (~$825), but won’t bring it to the U.S.

There’s also a special edition of the handset available — developed with Lamborghini — which will set you back 1,699 euros (~$1,970). For that money you get Lamborghini flair, but also 512GB of storage, a slightly smaller 3,400mAh battery, and Super VOOC fast charging, which can get  you to 100 percent juice in 35 minutes.

Specs

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These are our picks for the best phones with edge displays. Did we miss any worth pointing out? Let us know in the comments.